Biggest Issues Facing Australia Today: Special Report

NAB has released its first annual pulse check on the big issues facing Australia today. Important concerns include cost of living, access to healthcare, employment, the economy and terrorism/security concerns, while indigenous issues, infrastructure and transport and taxation are lowest.

NAB has released it first annual pulse check on the big issues facing Australia today.

The cost of living is clearly the big issue. Other important concerns include: access to healthcare; employment and jobs; the economy; and terrorism/security. Conversely, concerns over indigenous issues, infrastructure and transport and taxation are lowest.

Other key findings:

Cost of living is the biggest issue across all demographics, except for Australians over 50, where access to healthcare is the biggest issue.

However, there were notable differences across demographics in terms of the relative importance of each issue.

Cost of living is a much bigger issue for Tasmanians.

Access to healthcare is also a bigger issue in Tasmania as well as SA/NT.

Employment/jobs are more important in Tasmania, Victoria & SA/NT where unemployment has also been higher.

West Australians are most concerned about terrorism/security, while Victorians see law and order as a much bigger issue than in the other states.

Women rate cost of living, access to healthcare and an ageing population as a much bigger issues than do men.

The economy and terrorism are more important concerns for men.

Australians aged between 30-49 view employment/jobs and housing affordability as bigger issues, but more young people identified with education and income inequality.

Access to healthcare was a relatively bigger issue for those earning less than $35,000 and for the unemployed.

CoreLogic reported further slippage in dwelling values over the first month of 2018, with national dwelling values recording their second consecutive month on month decline. After dwelling values held firm in October and November, they slipped by a third of a percent in both December and January to be down 0.7% from their peak.